Portland Nike Store Refuses To Reopen Over Rampant Theft
Nike has announced that it has abandoned its efforts to reopen its flagship Community Factory Store in Portland, Oregon — which was only supposed to be closed temporarily because of rampant theft in the far-left city.
In a recent press release, Soul District Business Association (SDBA) announced that Nike decided not to reopen its location on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — with SDBA executive director John Washington describing the decision as a “major economic blow.”
“This news has landed like a lead balloon in our district,” Washington wrote in the press release. “We had all been holding our breath since last November when the store quietly shuttered its doors due to internal and external theft and safety issues. But, like so many of us riding out the fallout of the pandemic and protests, we held out hope that Nike, city officials and community leaders would recalibrate and realign order. But it looks like it’s game over.”
Nike temporarily closed the Portland location in February 2023 while searching for methods to combat an ongoing crime problem in the area — proposing solutions such as hiring off-duty police officers to arrest shoplifters, as the company was concerned about the “safety of our employees and consumers.” However, the city denied requests from the company for police assistance due to officer staffing shortages.
In a statement to local news outlet KATU-TV about the decision not to provide police assistance to the store, Portland Police wrote: “There are several large roadblocks that would have to be overcome, including the fact that with the level of staffing we have, we struggle to even fill overtime for regular shifts at the precincts. Reinstituting a program that allows for sworn PPB officers to work overtime at the request of businesses is a huge personnel lift I don’t believe we’re equipped to accommodate at the moment.”
Portland has faced police staffing shortages since the far-left city’s residents voted in 2020 to defund the police department — even though the city has seen skyrocketing crime throughout the past few years.
Despite denying requests from Nike to provide police assistance, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) wrote in a statement that he was “very disappointed” that Nike has chosen not to reopen the location — claiming that his administration had “worked tirelessly and in good faith with Nike for almost a year to offer creative solutions to their safety challenges.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Nike revealed that it is considering finding a new location.
“Nike’s commitment to supporting and uplifting Portland’s North and Northeast community is unwavering. We are reimagining Nike’s retail space, permanently closing our current location at 2650 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and considering future locations as part of this community’s long-term revitalization plan,” the statement read.
“True to our roots, we will seek the input of local community organizations and leaders to determine the best new location. As we plan ahead, we are keeping the best interest of our employees at heart, providing them options to continue to be part of the Nike family,” the statement continued.
